I used to be a hard-core "domainer" (would buy/sell/hold names speculatively), and it's really fascinating to look at this roll-out strategy. Charging for early access in a tiered manner is a great way to drive extra revenue during the "landrush" period.

Certain TLDs have had "Premium" names for a while, but I don't recall seeing this early access tactic before (that said, I'm a little bit out of the loop these days).

I have my eyes on a few once the fees become a bit more reasonable... I'll be excited to see what happens with .DEV domains long term!

Procurement is one of these business terms that I've never really understood. Procuring something is just obtaining something, right? Isn't that the whole idea with any business? You obtain something in exchange for money? Or is the idea of procurement that you obtain something in limited supply, like a specific domain name, or physical goods?

Just in case you didn't see my comment, 1and1/Ionos has inexpensive pre-registration going on now. Though honestly can't tell if that means I have to still buy it or if I've just bought a spot in line?! Suppose we'll wait and see.

Fascinating. Is the domain immediately immediately usable and confirmed-purchased, or would someone be able to swoop in during Early Registration to pre-empt you?

I guess I don't understand how "Early Access" would work if you can do pre-registration. Is Ionos somehow able to circumvent that process, or is this sort of a "reservation" for the no-fee public release?

Hah. Have no idea. It's not usable, I can set up DNS but that's about it right now it seems. I suppose if someone tries to swoop in (not that I'm expecting someone to put up money to do something like that) I can file a cease and desist with the registrar though gotta protect my "brand" or something.

I wonder if that's a semi dark-pattern from Ionos. Making it seem like you've purchased and secured the name, when in fact you've simply executed a pre-order for the full public release (which would be valuable as a standalone feature).

(Even though you might be somewhat in jest), regarding "brand," I did some research into the "sunrise" rules and there are pretty narrow requirements to get trademark protection on your domain. Though there might be similar process to UDRP complaints in general for instances of misuse.

Yeah, it is definitely weighted toward businesses that have had at least some funding. A salaried chap like myself (and I'd guess many others) have no chance of getting in on the early round of sales. Heck, even the later sales close to the actual "release" are too pricey for me.